Lough Ouler Hike

5 miles (8 km)

This walk visits the "heart-shaped"�corrie�lake of�Lough Ouler in the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
The loop walk also visits Glenmacnass Waterfall and climbs to Tonelagee�Mountain which lies just to the west of the lake.
You can start the walk from the Glenmacnass Waterfall car park and then pick up a trail along the Glenmacnass River, heading north west. You then turn west along the Lough Brook which will take you to Lough Ouler. It's a a beautiful spot with the small lake surrounded by wonderful mountainous scenery.
From here you can pick up trails heading south west to Tonelagee. The mountain stands at a height of 817 metres (2,680�ft), making it the third highest in the Wicklow Mountains and the 25th–highest peak in�Ireland. From here there are some splendid far reaching views over the national park.
To continue your walking in the area head south west to the Wicklow Gap where you can pick up trails to Turlough Hill and visit Ireland's only�pumped-storage hydroelectricity�plant.

Lough Ouler Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Lough Ouler Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

Just to the west you can pick up the Barrow Way, a 100km walk following the River Barrow from Robertstown,�County Kildare�to�Graiguenamanagh and St Mullins Walk in�County Carlow.

The epic Wicklow Way passes through the area. You could pick up this waymarked trail to further explore the Wicklow Mountains.
To the south east there's Avondale Forest Park where you can try the circular woodland trail along the River Avonmore. The park also includes a popular treetop walk where you can enjoy wonderful views over the area from an elevated path through the trees. It is the first of its kind in Ireland.

Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby

Glendalough Lake, Vartry Reservoir, Lugnaquilla, Turlough Hill, Lough Dan, Tinahely Railway Walk, Avondale Forest Park

Photos

Lough Ouler from Tonelagee. One of Tonelagee's most distinctive features is its deep north-eastern�corrie, which contains the "heart-shaped" natural lake of Lough Ouler at 596 metres (1,955�ft) (not as high as Wicklow's highest natural lake of�Cleevaun Lough�at 686 metres (2,251�ft), on�Mullaghcleevaun

Lough Ouler next to Tonelagee

Glenmacnass Waterfall�(Irish:�Gleann Log an Easa, meaning 'The glen of the hollow of the waterfall')[�is an 80-metre high waterfall situated at the head of the�Glenmacnass Valley

Tonelagee and Lough Ouler

Summit of Tonelagee

River Glenmanass. The�Glenmacnass River�begins high up on the southeast slopes of�Mullaghcleevaun�849 metres (2,785�ft), with smaller tributaries flowing in from the eastern slopes of�Tonelagee�817 metres (2,680�ft); the river then reaches the top of the waterfall at an elevation of 350 metres (1,150�ft) above sea-level, where it falls 80 metres (260�ft) down the waterfall in 3 staggered drops to an elevation of 270 metres (890�ft) above sea-level, where it reaches the Glenmacnass Valley floor.

GPS Files

GPX File

Lough Ouler.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>'Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Share>Save to Files')